Hinge



Z5, M9340 G. w. ALDEEN y 1,974,942

HINGE Y Filed July 6, 1931.

Patented Sept. 25, 1934 UNITED sixi'res PATENT eprice HINGE Application July 6, 1931, Serial No. 548,865

10 Claims.

The invention relates generally to a hinge for furniture and more particularly to a hinge for the fall-board of a desk, cabinet or the like.

In a colonial stylek of desk, two supports are often provided which comprise pieces of wood arranged to be drawn out longitudinally on their edges from a position within the body of the desk to a position in which portions of the supports extend beyond the body below the fall-board to support it when open. I

Hinges for fall-boards of desks of this style are provided with means secured to said supports whereby vthe supports are automatically moved from one position to the other as the fall-board is opened or closed. Such hinges are mounted in mortises cut in the fall-board and floor of the desk. i

The general object of the invention is to provide a new and improved hinge of this character'for which only a relatively short mortise need be cut in the iioor of the desk, and the parts of which may be correspondingly shorter. Y

Another object is to provide a hinge of this character Which, while itY requires only a relatively short mortise in the floor of the desk and its parts may be correspondingly shorter, gives a relatively long movement to the support actuated thereby.

A further object is to provide a hinge of this character having means whereby, in the assemvbly of its parts, it may be readily adapted to nt desks having fall-boards and supports of different dimensions and relative movements.

Other objects and advantages will become apparent from the following description taken in connectionv with the accompanying drawing, in which:

Figure 1 is a fragmentary plan view of a desk to which is attached a hinge embodying the features of the invention. Fig. 2 is a vertical section taken through the desk illustrated in Fig. 1 and showing the hinge when the fall-board is open.

Fig. 3 is a view similar to Fig. 2 but with the fall-board closed. Y

While the invention is susceptible of various modifications and alternative constructions, I have shown in the drawing and will herein describe in detail the preferred embodiment, but it is to be understood that I donot thereby intend to limit the invention to the speciiic form disclosed, but intend to cover all modifications and alternative constructions falling within the spiritr and scope of the invention as expressed in the appended claims.

While in a deskof the character described herein, two or more slidable supports and two or more hinges are provided, only one support and hinge are illustrated, the other support and hinge being similar.

Thepresent embodiment of the ,invention cornprises generally a pair of members adapted to be mounted in alined mortises cut respectively in the fall-board and floor of the desk, said members being hinged to each other at their adjacent ends. Extending downwardly through the mortise in the oor and rearwardly thereunder is a plate to which is pivoted a lever having means at its free end for connecting it to one of the slidable supports for the fall-board. Secured to the fal1- board member is an operating link slidablysecured to the plate and connected to the lever by another link. On movement of the fall-board, the operating and connecting links swing the lever and slide the support in or out.

In the drawing, the present embodiment is shown mounted in a desk which comprises a floor 10, a side wall 11 and a fall-board 12, the latter occupying a slanting position whenclosed, as shown in Fig. 3. Slidably mounted below the floor 10 is a pair of supports 13 at the respective sides of the desk, the supports being arrangedxto. be moved outwardly when the fall-board is opened to hold it rigidly in a horizontal position.

The hinge, in its present embodiment, com-V prises a pair of channel-shaped members 20 which are adapted to be mounted in alined mor# tises cut in the floor 10 and fall-board 12 and secured therein in aposition ush withthe upper surfaces thereof as by screws 21. Tohinge the fall-board to the floor, the members 20 have lugs 22 formed at their adjacent ends which are pivotally secured to each other. y

The invention also includes vmeans for automatically sliding the support 13 in or out on movement of the fall-board. This means is of such a character that its parts may each be rela-- tively short and the mortise cut in the floor vfor the member 20 need not be of great extent, while the movement imparted to the support is rela-` tively long.

In the present instance this means 'comprises a plate or bracket 23 preferably formed as an integral part of the floor memberl 20 and adapted to extend down through the mortise cut in the iioor. The rear end of the plate 23 extends under the door and to it is pivotally attached a lever 24 as by a rivet 27. Thus, the mortise through the floor may be relatively short, since the pivot for the lever 24 is under the floor.

Means is provided for connecting the Vfree end' of the lever 24 to the rear end of the support 13, which preferably comprises a link 25 pivotally secured at one end to the lever 24 in an end-toend relation with its other end adapted to be secured to the support 13 as by a screw 26.

To swing the lever 24, an operating link is pivotally secured at one end to the fall-board member 20 ata point spaced from its hinge. The operating link 30 extends through an opening cut in the bottom of the channel of the floor member 20 and downwardly through the mortise cut in the iloor, where it is slidably secured to the plate 23 by a pin 31 sliding in a slot 32 cut in the plate and extending downwardly and rearwardly. The operating link 3G is of such size that it fits snugly within the channels of the members 20 when the fall-board is open, as shown in Figs. l and 2.

In order that the lever 24 will be swung when the operating link is moved by the fail-board, a short link 33 connects the operating link 3,0. and

the lever 24. The link 33 is pivotally secured at one end to the lower end of the operating link 30 and at`its other end to the lever 24 intermediate the ends thereof.

In*v the present embodiment of the hinge, provision has also been made so that the hinge may be used on desks which differ in their dimensions, such as the angularity of the fall-board, the length of vmovement of the supports, and the relation of such movement to, the fall-board. To this end, when the lever 24 is manufactured, a plurality of holes 34 are punched intermediate the ends thereof. The connecting link 33 may then be secured to the lever 24 at any one of several points as by means of a rivet 35 extending the lever 24, the. parts of the hinge may be asthrough one ofthe holes 34. Thus, the swinging movement lof the lever 24, and hence the sliding movement of the support I3 may be varied.

In operation, assume that the fall-board is closed as shown in lt'ig. 3. As the fall-board is swung open, the operating link 30 is slid upwardly and the lever 2411s swung forwardly about the pivoi'l 27` by the connecting link 33. When the lever 24. isl swung forwardly, the support 1,3 is movedV forwardly to the position shown in Fig.

2 Where the fall-board is open.

lromv the above description, it will be apparent that the mortise cut in the floor of the'desk and the parts of the hinge may be relatively short, since the plate 23 supporting the pivot 27 for the` lever 24 extends under the oor, and the parts of the hinge permit of a relatively long movement for the support 1,3. t is` also apparent that, by punching. a plurality` of holes 34 in sembled so that it 'may be readily adaptedy to nt desks having fall-boards and supportsV of` different dir'nensions and relative movements.

I claim as my invention:

1. A hinge for the fall-board ofv a desk having slidable supports therefor comprising, in combination, a pair o f members adapted to be, mounted in mortises cut respectively inthe floorand fall-board, said members being hinged to each other, a plate secured on said iioor member adaptedto` extend throughl the floor and,

rearwardly thereunder, av lever pivotally conlink pivotally seouredto Vsaid fall-boardmember,

meansyforgzuiding the free end ofA said operating comprising a4 slot cutin said plate anda, pin

secured to the free end of said operating link and sliding in said slot, and a connecting link connected at one end to the free end of said operating link and at its other end to said lever intermediate the ends thereof.

2. A hinge for the fall-board of a desk having slidable supports therefor comprising, in combination, a pair of members adapted to be mounted respectively on the floor and fall-board and hinged to each other, a bracket extending downwardly from said floor member and adapted to extend rearwardly under the floor, a lever and a link pivoted to each other in end-to-end relation, said lever being pivoted to the rear end of said bracket and saidlink being adapted to be pivoted to the rear end of one of said supports, and means for swinging said lever and link to draw said support forwardly comprising an operating link connected at one end to said fallboard member and slidably guided at its other end by said bracket, and a link connecting the latter end of said operating link and said lever.

3. A hinge for. the fall-.board ci` a desk having slidable supports; therefor comprising, in combination, a pair of members adapted to be mounted respectively on the floor and 4fall-.board of the desk, and hinged to each other, a support-H ing member extending downwardly from said floor member and adapted to extend rearwardly under the floor, means for operating'one of said supports including a lever pivoted to` the rear end of said supporting member and means for actuating said last-mentioned means comp-rising a pair of links pivoted to each other and slidably secured to said supporting member, one of said pair being pivotally attached to. said fall-board member and the other being pivotally attached to said lever.

4. A hinge for the fall-board of a4desk having slidable supports therefor comprising, in combination, means for hingingl the fallboard tothe,

floor of the desk and means for operating vone of said supports comprising a bracket secured in a mortise cut through the floor and extending rearwardly thereunder, a lever and a link pivoted to each other, said lever being'pivoted to,

said bracket andy said link being pivoted to said, support, and actuating means for said lever and link comprising a link adaptedy toI be pivotally attached to the fall-boardI and slidablyfsecured to said bracket and a link connectingisaid lastmentioned link with said lever.

5. A hinge for the fallboard of a desk having slidable supports. therefor comprising,V in`- combination, means for hinging the fall-board to the oor of the desk, and means for operatingY one of said suDDOlQtS. comprising a fixed pivot mounted under saidV floor, a leverl attached to.

6. A hinge for the` fall-boardofya, desk. ha-vvv ing; slidable supports thereforcomprising, .ini combination, meansrfor hinging, the fall-board;` tothe floor of the desk, a bracket attachedto, the. floor andi extending downwardly therefrom',r a lever pivotally secured to. the vrearerid ofsaid bracket,4 means for connecting the-free. end; of.

said lever to one of said supportsna link s lidably connected to said braeket andadaptedtdbepivotally attached to the fall-board, a. connecting link pivotally secured to said first-mentioned link, and means whereby said connecting link may be secured to any one of several points on said lever intermediate the ends thereof to vary the movement of said support.

7. In a desk having a fall-board hinged to the floor and slidable supports therefor, a mechanism for operating one of said supports comprising, in combination, a member adapted to be secured in a mortise cut in the oor and having a plate adapted to extend through said mortise and rearwardly under the ioor, a lever pivoted on the rear end of said plate, means for connecting said lever to said support, and means for swinging said lever comprising an operating link, a member adapted to be secured in a mortise cut in the fall-board, said operating link being pivoted at one end to said fall-board member and slidably secured to said plate for movement downwardly through the mortise in the floor and rearwardly thereof, and a connecting link pivotally secured to said operating link and to said lever intermediate the ends thereof.

8. In a desk having a fall-board hinged to the floor and slidable supports therefor, a mechanism for operating one of said supports comprising, in combination, a supporting member secured in a mortise cut in the floor and extending rearwardly under the floor, a lever pivoted to the rear end of said member under the floor and connected to one of said supports, and means connected to the fall-board for swinging said lever.

9. In a desk having a fall-board hinged to the oor and slidable supports therefor, a mechanism for operating one of said supports comprising, in combination, a pivot attached to the floor and having a horizontal axis, a lever attached to said pivot and adapted to be connected to said support, an operating link adapted to be connected to the fall-board, means for guiding said operating link, and a connecting link pivotally attached to said operating link and said lever, said link moving in a vertical plane in a path extending around and under said pivot.

l0. A hinge for the fall-board of a desk having slidable supports therefor comprising, in combination, means for hinging the fall-board to the iioor of the desk, a lever pivotally secured to the floor, means for connecting the free end of said lever to one of said supports, means adapted to be connected to the fall-board for swinging said lever, and means whereby said last-mentioned means may be secured to any one of several points on said lever intermediate the ends thereof to vary the movement of said support.

GEDOR W. ALDEEN.

EJO 

